Met the teacher.....Again.

David starts "school" next week! 

Last night we went to "Meet this Teacher" for the fourth time:)

This is the only teacher we have had for all four!  She knew David WAY before David knew her.

We love her:)

Garrett earned a new green belt! He loves some TWD. 

Mary just started taking piano last week.  She's a piano teacher's dream.  She wants to practice all the time. My sweet Mary loves anything that involves solitude:)

A note to the teacher

Tonight I learned how to be a second grader again.  It was "curriculum night" at school where we learn the "what we do, when we do, and how we do it?" talk.

I guess I was distracted and may have started rummaging through Mary's desk.  I found a folded up note.

So...

I had to read it of course.

It's the quiet ones! I keep saying that!

She told her teacher of one week that her parents were trying to trap raccoons?

Really of all the things she could have written to her teacher? 

I have no idea where she got this wild notion..

Trapping raccoons?

Geesh.  We have no secrets now that we have three school aged children!

happy saturday

Someone will be happy to wake up with a full house.:)

Garrett had a few rough days, but the he ended the week really well, so we had a "coke date."  That'll be the last time we do that. School plus sugar overload equals tears apparently.

It is a hard thing to wear out Garrett White, but last night, he said, "I think I need to go to bed, mom."

Allie had to write a little autobiography at school, and she asked me to proof read it at home.  This is a very small clip of something that she wrote that brought tears to my eyes and completely FILLED my heart.

She "gets it."  

We adopted David because we really believed God put it on our hearts to do so.  He confirmed that through the process, but the confirmation continues.  As I stood and gave an oath on David's behalf this week to be a citizen of this country, it reminded me that Christ also stands before God on my behalf...a fellow inheritor of the Kingdom.

After reading what Allie wrote, as I've thought many times, we didn't adopt David for David's sake, we adopted him for our own sakes...so that we may understand a little better what God has done for us.

Just this week, I ran across an article about this very thing written by a pastor named Jason Johnson who has adopted two children.  He can express in words way better than me, so I'll use his quote:

"Orphan care doesn't begin with the orphan "out there" who needs to be adopted, it begins with the orphan in you that already has been adopted in Jesus.

The call to care for orphans begins with the Gospel, is sustained and carried by the Gospel, and in the end is one of the clearest and most tangible expressions of the Gospel."

Our "little American"

What a WEEK.  

It's our first full week of school, and getting three of them out with all their stuff by 7:30 (with an interrupting 3 year old) has hurled me into "discipline mode."  No more staying up late, we have a schedule to KEEP!

I got a call from Garrett's teacher, Monday saying "Ummm we can't find Garrett's lunch box and he may have left it somewhere."  

Yeah, or HIS MOM FORGOT ON THE THIRD DAY!

I rushed to the school to take him a burger, and Mary's teacher explained that Garrett's teacher had asked if she could share her food, to which she responded, "NO."

And as I was eating lunch with a very happy kindergartener, Allie passes through the cafeteria with  jaw dropped because I've snuck into the school with a happy meal for Garrett!

So we are working on getting it together again!

Allie got her full set of braces Tuesday!  She woke up this morning with "SIX NEW ULCERS!" (that is girl code for one ulcer that is as bad as six) She really has adjusted well considering she is pretty young to get them.

When I told her I was going to take David to get his citizenship certificate, she said, "ahh, our little American." 

After that, big D and I drove over to Mandy's to visit and to go to David's citizenship ceremony on Wednesday.  David and Hunter are 6 months apart...but the same size and all boy!  They had a great time:)

 David was officially a citizen on Dec, 7th when we finalized but we had not received the certificate yet because they have a ceremony with lots of other children who are also being naturalized the same day.  

It was a wonderful ceremony and I regret not taking our other kids.  David of course was oblivious, but there were 30 countries represented with mostly parents that had immigrated to this country and their children were being naturalized.  Each country was called out and the children from that country stood.  It was very moving because there was such excitement in the room.

The speaker explained that "many people are born into this great country and take it for granted, but you will not."  That is something all of us should be reminded!

A 5th grader from Iraq led us in the "Pledge of Allegiance" at the end.  It was awesome.

Love RULES

I read a post that stated these ten rules of love that I really liked.  I looked at all the scripture and decided they would great to memorize with the kids this year.   

We had a good summer, but GOODNESS....I said all the things I heard my mother say:)

  "If you can't be nice, don't say it at all!"  

"Quit touching him."  

"He's only three.  He doesn't know how to unload the dishwasher yet!"

It is the nature of child rearing, but I liked the rules enough that I made a canvas to hang up in the mudroom where they park all their stuff.  

I can't wait to stuff it down their throats lovingly and prayerfully ponder this with my dear children.

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them

 as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Deuteronomy  11:18-19

First Day 2013

We made it through another "first day!"

I seriously did not intend for them to look like the U.S. flag.  For some reason, I like each kid to wear the same color scheme each year.  Allie has done red/khaki every year, Mary has done blue and white. (That way when I compare first day pics, they have the same colors on every year:)  So I picked blue for G too.

It was a great first day!  Allie was super excited to get back. Mary enjoyed seeing friends and liked her teacher, but had a huge melt down when she came home.  (She's our sweet introvert who gets a little overwhelmed by people, so starting school is an adjustment.)

G jumped in the car after school and said, 

"That.was.awesome." Dimples and all.

Thankful for a good day!  Lots to pray about as they begin a new year.  I feel like the "school train" is high speed  and it's hard to slow it down once it gets going.  Some how I have a fifth grader, and I'm afraid if I turn around she's going to be in high school.

Meet the teacher

School starts tomorrow.  Garrett has just come around to the idea that he's actually going to big school with the girls. He has been really excited!

Last night as we were walking in (as he's done MANY times), he grabbed my hand, and said, "Mom, I need you to go with me!  He even started to tear up.  Then he saw a friend from BSF, and said, "Let's GO together!"  

We searched the class lists, and he saw his name before I did.  He shouted, "I KNEW IT!" and started running down the hall.  If you know Garrett, you KNOW that this kid is the picture of excitement.  

As I was visiting with his teacher, I wasn't really paying attention but taking pics.  You can see that Garrett started his task at his desk....and then he let big sister do it for him help.

G-man, it's all you buddy!  I know you are going to have a great year:)

18 months old!  

Remembering Reese

Four years ago today, our cousin and niece, Reese Catherine Rowe was born.  Today we celebrate her life!

Allie was six, so she well remembers the day Reese was born and the two days later when she went to be with Jesus.  This past spring, her journaling assignment at school was to write about one thing that she could ask for from God  what it would be? 

She wrote an entry entitled:  My Choice.

I ran across this two months ago when she brought home all her school stuff for the year.  Made me ache as I wished for the little girl that would be running around with the rest of them. I too know she will one day run around with us all.

Today, we looked through all her sweet pictures and talked about what she might be doing in heaven.

We love you Katie, Jason, and boys, and our hearts are with you as you celebrate your beautiful daughter today!

We also celebrate my MIL today on her birthday!!!  She's the best MIL I've ever had!  Ha...but she really is:)

We love you too, Bunny!

Beach Party

For thirty something years, my family has gone to the beach together at the end of the summer.  We topped it out this year at 21 people.  

11 grands in birth order.  The cousins have a ball together!

We decided to take a more "normal" picture this year.

My crew gave out quickly.  We took them right after a rain storm, and it must have been 100% humidity.  David was soaked!

Left to right is my oldest brother, younger sister, parents, then twin brother.  Because we are all so close in age, our kids are close together too.  It was a little crazy five years ago, but only one grand kid is in diapers now!

I threw this one in because it was one of my favorites. David LOVED the ocean.  He and Garrett would run in and out of the waves for hours!

For the second year in a row, our beach trip has coincided with Katie's and Jason's family trip.  She brought the boys down the road to play one afternoon and we had a great visit.  Loved seeing them too!

I'm such a picture/memory nerd.  This is our tenth year of having kids on the beach.  It's the one time every year we do a family pic.

Thankful for my crazy family.  Now to get ready for school...aggh!

"Back to school" #3

Our school has a "back to school" party for every grade.  Goodness gracious, am I really going to have three kids in big school?  So this is party number 1, kid number 3. 

Garrett was excited to meet his new class, but this one girl in particular.  We will call her "L."  He followed her around ALL NIGHT.  And near the end, I guess he decided to put his best foot forward.

His teacher has her work "CUT OUT!"  He's CRAZY!

But I'm pretty CRAZY about that boy!